March 18, 2022 | Wrestling
Byrd looks to climb the podium on Saturday
Detroit, MI – Fighting Illini redshirt freshman Lucas Byrd became the 40th wrestler in program history to claim multiple All-America honors. The 133-pound wrestler has rattled off five straight victories, four of which came on Saturday. Byrd's podium-clinching win on Friday night marks the 30th straight season with at least one Illini All-American.
Brackets | Championship Central
"I couldn't be prouder right now of Lucas Byrd," said head coach Mike Poeta. "He showed so much heart coming back from losing in the first round. I know in Lucas' mind he came here to win this tournament, so to win five straight matches after the loss is pretty special. There's more work to do tomorrow and he's fighting for the next best thing: third place in the country."
@lukebyrd106 is a two-time All-American!
— Illinois Wrestling (@IlliniWrestling) March 19, 2022
The #Illini 133-pounder defeats No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (MICH) 6-5 to advance in the consolation bracket! #Illini x #NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/qn8nYtR9B1
After placing fifth at the 2021 NCAA Championships, Byrd will look to improve on that finish on Saturday when he wrestles Iowa's No. 5 Austin DeSanto in the consolation semifinals shortly after 10 a.m. central time on ESPNU. A win would place Byrd in the third-place match later in the afternoon. The last Illini to win seven straight matches after dropping their opening match at NCAA Championships is Emery Parker (184 pounds) in 2018.
After dropping his first match of the tournament, Byrd has battled back in wrestlebacks with five straight decisions including three over top-10 seeds. In Friday's morning session, Byrd started his path through the consolation bracket with a thrilling 7-5 victory in sudden victory over No. 9 seed Michael Colaiocco of Penn and then controlled his second match, a 6-1 win over No. 18 Joseph Heilmann (UNC).
Byrd again proved clutch on Friday night with a pair of one-point victories. In the blood round to determine All-America status, Byrd overcame No. 6 Dylan Ragusin of Michigan with takedowns in the first and second periods and hung on for a 6-5 victory. The Cincinnati, Ohio native closed out his four-win day with a gritty performance against No. 10 Chris Cannon (Northwestern). Despite not recording a takedown, Byrd proved tough on top as he rode Cannon for nearly the full two-minute third period to clinch a 2-1 decision on riding time.
After winning his first two matches of the Championships, 184-pound Zac Braunagel dropped his two matches on Saturday. Braunagel lost his quarterfinal bout to top-seed Myles Amine (Michigan) before falling in sudden victory to No. 11 Jonathan Loew (Cornell).
Luke Luffman (285 pounds) dropped his only match of the day to Binghamption's Joe Doyle in the second round of the consolation bracket.
Match by match:
125: (27) Justin Cardani
Champ Round 1: Lost by major dec. to (6) Eric Barnett (WIS), 9-0
Cons. Round 1: vs. Lost by decision to (22) Ryan Miller (PENN), 5-1
Justin Cardani eliminated.
133: (7) Lucas Byrd
Champ Round 1: Lost by fall to (26) Matt Ramos (PUR), 2:27
Cons. Round 1: Won by decision over (23) Anthony Madrigal (OU), 3-1
Cons. Round 2: Won by decision over (9) Michael Colaiocco (PENN), 7-5 (SV-1)
Cons. Round 3: Won by decision over (18) Joseph Heilmann (UNC), 6-1
Cons. Round 4: Won by decision over (6) Dylan Ragusin (MICH), 6-5
Cons. Quarterfinal: Won by decision over (10) Chris Cannon (Northwestern), 2-1
Cons. Semifinal: vs. (5) Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
184: (9) Zac Braunagel
Champ Round 1: Won by decision over (24) Caleb Hopkins (CAMP), 11-4
Champ Round 2: Won by fall over (8) Marcus Coleman (ISU), 6:47 (SV-1)
Quarterfinals: Lost by decision to (1) Myles Amine (MICH), 12-5
Cons. Round 4: Lost by decision to (11) Jonathan Loew (COR), 3-1 (SV-1)
Zac Braunagel eliminated
285: (14) Luke Luffman
Champ Round 1: Won by major decision over (19) Luke Surber (OKST), 10-2
Champion Round 2: Lost by major decision to (3) Tony Cassioppi (Iowa), 12-3
Cons. Round 2: Lost by major decision to (20) Joe Doyle (BING), 14-4
Luke Luffman eliminated
